Banjul, 15 October 2025: As Gambia still grapples with the impacts of climate change, a new generation of youth in the Netherlands is stepping into advocacy and becoming global climate activists. One of these is Tamsir Sallah, a passionate youth activist whose journey began in The Gambia and has now expanded onto international stages.
Tamsir transitioned into full-time climate activism driven by his firsthand experience of climate change impacts in rural Gambian communities. He moved to the Netherlands 3 years ago, where he continued his activism.
With regard to his professional experience, Tamsir worked at the Ministry of Agriculture as an Extension Worker. He was also a member of The Gambia’s Environmental Alliance and part of the organising team for the first cohort of the Local Conference of Youth (LCOY) in The Gambia, as well as the co-host of LCOY Netherlands 2025. Currently, he is a member of YOUNGO, the official youth and children constituency under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). He is also affiliated with the Dutch branch of Service Civil International, an organisation that advocates peace, as well as environmental and social justice-related issues.
Growing up in the Central River Region, Tamsir witnessed how climate change devastated agricultural productivity, forcing young people to migrate from rural to urban areas and even risking their lives on dangerous Mediterranean Sea crossings. This personal experience fueled his passion for climate justice advocacy.
“The Gambia contributes less than 0.03% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, we are among the top 10 vulnerable African countries affected by climate change. We struggle, and we are the least contributors to climate change,” he said.
Working with the Ministry exposed him to various societal challenges. To ensure his voice was heard, he became actively engaged in advocacy for climate justice at the international level. He emphasised that we must all advocate collectively at both regional and global levels to achieve climate justice.
As a member of YOUNGO, Tamsir has been actively engaged in international climate negotiations. He has participated in multiple UN climate conferences (SB58, SB60, SB62) as a youth delegate, facilitating bilateral discussions and pushing for meaningful climate action. Living in the Netherlands has expanded his advocacy opportunities, providing platforms and resources unavailable in The Gambia.
Highlighting some of the challenges he faces in his work, the young climate justice advocate mentioned the difficulty in influencing policies at the negotiation table.
“Young people are at the forefront in climate advocacy, but we are not given the opportunity to influence these policies,” he said, adding that “it is difficult to connect the dots. Africans living abroad can relate to climate change primarily through the stories they hear about its impact on their home countries’ realities, like drought and flooding affecting the societies they left behind,” he underlined.
Moreover, Tamsir highlighted the challenges of communicating the realities of the climate crisis to Western audiences who have not experienced the direct, life-altering impacts faced by vulnerable communities.
He actively lobbies for funding to support his homeland, as all of his activism focuses on The Gambia. Living in the Netherlands doesn’t prevent him from making an impact back home. He considers it his social responsibility to secure funding for environmental organisations in his home country. Tamsir also collaborates with his brother, who maintains a large vegetable garden that provides produce to support vulnerable community members. Additionally, he has invested in livestock production, selling at affordable prices during Tobaski, which is affordable for all. As an activist, he aims to expand his efforts with bigger plans to help communities and address climate change mitigation.
Tamsir urges policymakers to create policies that have a long-term impact and whose implementation will address the issues of climate change in The Gambia. He also urges youths to engage in decision-making and hold leaders accountable.
By Ndey Adama Jobe
